Shaping an Inclusive Information Society: The role of Accessibility

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Shaping an Inclusive Information SocietyThe
role of Accessibility

• Overview about the strategic role of
  accessibility in an inclusive democratic
  Information Society with insights into DTT.
• Dr. Patrizia Bertini
• ITTK Research Fellow

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Agenda

• Main Concepts
• Accessibility
• Assistive technologies
• Who are the users?
• Standards for Accessibility
• Internet vs. DTV
• Accessible DTT?

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What is Accessibility?

• Is a part of the UD (Universal Design)
• UD philosophy for designing and delivering
  products and services that are usable by people
  with the widest possible range of functional
  capabilities, which include
• products
• services
• directly usable (without requiring assistive
  technology)
• products and services that are made usable with
  assistive technology.

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Accessibility means

• ensuring that Content and services can be
  navigated and read by everyone, regardless of
• Location / connection / Situation
• Experience /User limitation
• Type of computer technology used

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Connection

• Low speed connection
• GPRS
• 56k (for todays online services is not enough!)
• Different connection devices
• DTV (DVB-MHP 1.1)
• PDA (Palm OS, MS CE)
• SmartPhones (Symbian)

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Alternative devices

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What is Assistive technology?

• Assistive technology is specialized hardware or
  software that is used to help increase, maintain
  or assist the functional capabilities of people
  with disabilities. It can be any device or
  technique that assists people in removing or
  reducing barriers to computing technology and
  information and enhances their everyday
  activities.

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Assistive technologies Blind users
Hardware Braille Bars

• Software
• Screenreader (Jaws)
• Voice Browsers (IBM Home Page Reader)

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Assistive technologiesMotor impaired/1

Special Keyboards
Special Input device
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Information Society

• In 1964 McLuhan believed that all media are
  extensions of the various human senses and
  faculties. (Undestranding Media)
• Accessibility, Assistive technologies and the
  will of shaping an inclusive Isoc make true
  McLuhan thoughts.

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Who are the Users?

When you are on the phone or on the air, you
have no body. M.McLuhan
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How many disabled in EU?LSHPD long standing
health problem or disability

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Statistics about EU disabled people

• 14,5 of the Euro15 population suffer from
  disability
• 25 and higher in the EU candidate countries  
• "In the entirely of the Candidate Countries, one
  quarter of the population suffers from some
  long-standing illness or disability that limits
  their activities.  In this aspect Hungary, Poland
  and the Czech Republic, where this ratio is
  30-32, are among the countries that seem to be
  in a situation worse than the average".
• Source EU barometer 2002 August 2002

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Elderly people in EU countries

• By 2025, one out of 5 european citizen will be
  over 65
• By 2050, more than 1/4 of the european population
  will be over 65 
• In 2000, there were 61 million elderly people
  aged 65 in the EU
• Today, these elderly people represent 16 of the
  total population 
• Source The social situation in the European
  Union - Eurostat report 2002  

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ISoc

Atoms
Bit DNA of Information
N. Negroponte, 1995
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Main changes in Society

• labor theory of value
• knowledge theory of value
• (Daniel Bell 1974)

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From the eEurope 2002 Final Report

• () eEurope has been strong on bringing citizens
  and businesses online and establishing a
  framework within which the knowledge economy can
  grow. Translating these achievements into
  tangible economic benefits, higher productivity,
  improved quality of service, greater social
  inclusion and non-inflationary growth ()
• The eEurope 2002 Action Plan was subtitled an
  Information Society for All and aimed at
  ensuring a truly inclusive Information Society.

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But

• How can we create a truly info-inclusive
  information Society if there is still a huge
  number of persons who has
• NO ACCESS
• to information itself?

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The European strategy

• Adoption of the Web Accessibility Initiative
  (WAI) guidelines for public web sites, as
  proposed by the Commission
• Review of relevant legislation and standards to
  ensure conformity with accessibility principles
• Publication of "Design for all" standards for
  accessibility of information technology products,
  in particular to improve the employability and
  social inclusion of people with special needs

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Accessibilitys role

• Thus, Accessibility becomes the key to create a
  real information society.
• It applies to
• Websites design development
• Handheld, Mobile and hardware devices development
• DTT services HW (STBs)

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Accessibility References

• Web
• EU World (except US) WCAG 1.0 (5th May, 1999)
• USA Section 508 (Rehabilitation Act 1973,
  Amendment 1986/1998)
• DTT (only Europe)
• Cenelec, Standardisation Requirements for Access
  to Digital TV and Interactive Services by
  Disabled People, November 2003
• EBU Technical - Information I44-2004 (EBU report
  on Access Services - includes draft
  recommendations) june 2004

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Accessibility references /2

• Telco HW
• Us Section 255 Telecommunication Act 1996 (added
  in 2001)
• EU in A REVIEW OF LEGISLATION RELEVANT TO
  ACCESSIBILITYIN EUROPE (15/11/2002) is stated
  that
• Existing measures in telecommunications to
  improve accessibility should be implementedby
  Member States and the Commission. () Technology
  trends should be analysed. For example, UMTS
  should be taken into account in legislation in
  anappropriate way.

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Law legal requirements

• EU
• eEurope 2002
• eEurope 2003
• eAccessibility for people with disabilities.
• (dicember 2002)
• eEurope 2005
• UK 1995 Disability Discrimination Act
• DE Barrierefreie Informationstechnik Verordnung -
  BITV (July 24th 2002)

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Law legal requirements 2

• ES LEY51/2003, de 2 de Diciembre, de igualdad de
  oportunidades, no discriminación y accesibilidad
  universal de las personas condiscapacidad.
• PT 12/08/2003 Resolução do Conselho de Ministros
  n.º 110/2003 Plano Nacional para a Participação
  dos Cidadãos com Necessidades Especiais na
  Sociedade da Informação
• IT Legge 4/2004 Disposizioni per favorire
  laccesso dei soggetti disabili agli strumenti
  informatici.

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DTV scenario
TV on IP
TVAnywhere MediaScreen
TV Anytime time shift, personal TV
Interactive internet services
More channels, EPG, 169
Digital tv-licences (10 years)
Shut-off of analogue transmissions
DVB-T popul. coverage 70 ? 100
Analogue tv-licences end 31.12.2006
1.9.
27.8.
2001
2002
2010
2003
2007
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Once upon a time
Winky Dink You (USA) October 10, 1953 until
April 27, 1957 on the CBS network
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Access TV

• Access services on DTT are an OPPORTUNITY
• As long as TV is an Accessible already accessed
  media by itself, reaching each home though air
  waves, also those homes which are NOT CONNECTED
  to the Internet, it has a special role in
  creating an Inclusive Isoc based on integration
  and info-inclusion.

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DDT changes this!

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DTV vs. Internet

• DTV
• New use of a known media
• Use of different already available return
  channels
• Reaches Everybody (use of air waves)
• People is familiar with TV
• It requires less technology literacy
• Control on user
• Broadcasting related services

• Internet
• New media
• Needs a connection (Modem, phone, GPRS)
• Used mainly by under 45
• Elder people is unfamiliar with PCs
• Requires few technology knowledge
• Anonimous user
• Independant services

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DTV Vs. Internet 2

• DTT
• Less channels
• More personalization of channels / broadcasting
• targetized T-commerce
• Localization
• Wider audience (everybody)
• Reduced costs for accessible STBs

• Internet
• Great amount of sites
• Time spending information gathering (large amount
  of infos)
• Sites mostly address to young people
• Requires additional expansive assistive tech

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TV vs. WEB

• Viewers expect from TV
• Entratainment
• Information
• Info is related to broadcasters programs
• Viewers are linkers

• Users expect from Web
• Communication
• Independently surfable
• Searcher Vs. Linkers kind of users (Nielsen)

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Accessibility DTT

• DTT allows for the first time to create enhanced
  contents services that can be Accessible to
  everyone and improve everyones life style
• Deaf hearing impaired people
• Blind people Sight impaired people
• Foreign people (? L1)
• Elderly people
• Low literacy
• Learning disabilities
• Motor impaired people

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How can DTT improve our lives?

• Subtitles - deaf people, hearing inpaired,
  foreign viewers, cognitive disabled (helped by
  redundancy)
• Caption (or AD) - blind people, sight impaired
  people
• Sign language (PIP, Avatar) -
• deaf people
• Multilanguage choices -
• foreign people, students.

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Some early regulations

• Cyprus Draft Regulamentation expected to be
  approved in 2004, asks for 20 of CyBC programs
  to be subtitled
• UK Broadcasters are required to subtitle at
  least 80, add AD to at least 10 and sign a
  minimum of 5 of their program output.
• Sweden Final requirement expected by the end of
  2004.

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Accessibility for T-Gov

• Equal rights for citizens 
• Non discrimination 
• Social inclusion
• EU requirement (eEurope Action plans)   

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Inclusive ISoc passes thought DDT

• Everyone has a TV at home
• Everyone knows how to use a TV
• Less costy to the user to access services (no
  real need for special assistive technologies like
  on PC)
• Accessible services are better for everyone

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Questions?

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References

• Dr. Patrizia Bertini
• E-Accessibility Consultant Researcher
• E-Mail patrizia.bertini_at_ittk.hu
• Thank You!